Medication compliance and management device

Abstract

A medication dispenser is provided which includes compartments uniquely arranged with respect to time, for example, by time of day and/or day of week. Each compartment may contain pills in accordance with a pharmaceutical regimen such that consuming the pills within the compartments at the appropriate time as arranged with respect to time may maintain a patient's compliance with the pharmaceutical regimen. Additionally, a medication compliance and management method is provided which includes the steps of a) reviewing a pharmaceutical regimen of a patient to reduce a complexity of the pharmaceutical regimen, b) providing a quantity of medication dispensers in accordance with the reviewed pharmaceutical regimen with pills of the pharmaceutical regimen organized within the medication dispensers to further reduce the complexity of the pharmaceutical regimen, c) tracking the quantity of provided medication dispensers to determine when the quantity of medication dispensers will be depleted, d) contacting a prescribing doctor to obtain authorization to refill additional medication dispensers, and e) delivering refilled medication dispensers to the patient.

1 . A medication dispenser for maintaining a patient's compliance with a pharmaceutical regimen, the pharmaceutical regimen setting forth a consumption requirement of pills, the dispenser comprising: 
 a. a plurality of compartments filled with respective pills uniquely arranged and organized with respect to time to reduce a complexity of the pharmaceutical regimen, the pills within only one compartment being removable; and    b. an indicia flap adjacent to the compartments having information with respect to the pills.    
   
   
       2 . The dispenser of  claim 1  wherein the compartments have a box configuration.  
   
   
       3 . The dispenser of  claim 1  wherein the compartments are transparent from an open front position of the dispenser.  
   
   
       4 . The dispenser of  claim 1  wherein the compartments are compressible.  
   
   
       5 . The dispenser of  claim 1  wherein at least some of the compartments are defined by a penetrable membrane such that pressing on the compartment will extract the pills of the pressed compartment only.  
   
   
       6 . The dispenser of  claim 1  wherein the compartments are arranged by time of day.  
   
   
       7 . The dispenser of  claim 6  wherein the compartments are further arranged by day of week.  
   
   
       8 . The dispenser of  claim 1  wherein the compartments are attached to a pill flap and the pill flap has perforations grouping the compartments for a single days supply of pills to make the pills to be consumed that day convenient to carry by the patient.  
   
   
       9 . The dispenser of  claim 1  wherein the information relates to identification of the pills.  
   
   
       10 . The dispenser of  claim 9  wherein the identification of the pills is through a graphical image of the pill.  
   
   
       11 . The dispenser of  claim 10  wherein the graphical image of the pill may be in a form selected from the group consisting of black and white photograph, color photograph, sketch, identifying marks, pharmaceutical name, trade name and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       12 . The dispenser of  claim 1  wherein the information relates to directions to consume the pills.  
   
   
       13 . The dispenser of  claim 1  wherein the information relates to warnings of the pills.  
   
   
       14 . A medication compliance and management method comprising: 
 a. reviewing a pharmaceutical regimen of a patient to reduce a complexity of the pharmaceutical regimen; and    b. providing a quantity of medication dispensers in accordance with the reviewed pharmaceutical regimen with pills of the pharmaceutical regimen organized within the medication dispensers to further reduce the complexity of the pharmaceutical regimen.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the review step is triggered by events selected from the group consisting of a notification of negative information with respect to a pill, a notification that the quantity of medication dispensers provided to the patient is depleted, a requirement that the patient comply with the pharmaceutical regimen and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the reviewing step is accomplished by a health care professional.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising the step of tracking the quantity of provided medication dispensers to determine when the quantity of medication dispensers will be depleted.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the tracking step is accomplished with a computer program to calculate an expected date when the provided medication dispensers will be depleted.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising the step of contacting a prescribing doctor to obtain authorization to refill additional medication dispensers.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising the step of delivering refilled pill dispensers to the patient.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20  further comprising the step of repeating the contacting and delivering steps.